In End-of-Session Frenzy, Not All Bills Are Equal

This week, legislators in Sacramento are awash in the traditional end-of-the-ses- sion free-for-all. Before they close this weekend, they will have passed some bills, killed some and left others to wither on the legislative vine. The Times believes the following bills warrant special attention.

First, two turkeys:

* Secession. Does Assemblywoman Paula Boland really think that the entire voting populace of Los Angeles wants a say on whether the San Fernando Valley should secede from the city? You might think so, since Boland has resurrected and amended her defeated secession bill as a rider to SB112, an unrelated piece of legislation.

Don’t be fooled. Boland could not care less about the sentiment of all Angelenos. This is just a last-ditch effort to keep her secession bill alive. And guess what? It’s still not enough. The new Boland effort deserves what the earlier one got: a no vote.

There is virtually no evidence to suggest that the Valley and the rest of Los Angeles would be better off as separate political entities. According to a Times poll conducted this summer, there isn’t even a groundswell for secession at ground zero, the Valley itself.

* Smoking. California’s landmark workplace smoke ban, which took effect in January 1995, granted bars in restaurants and stand-alone bars and taverns a two-year grace period before they too had to either go smoke-free or install ventilation systems to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke. That grace period ends on Jan. 1. Because the required indoor ventilation technology does not yet exist, this bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Sal Cannella (D-Ceres), would extend the exemption granted to bars and taverns. Cannella’s bill, AB 3037, has passed the Assembly and is now on the Senate floor. It defies the spirit of the 1994 workplace smoke ban, the documented dangers of secondhand smoke and the sentiments of most Californians. It should be rejected.

And the proposals of merit:

* Prisoners. AB 3093 would permit the release, under limited and tightly controlled circumstances, of prisoners who are terminally ill or who because of a physical disability have been determined to present no threat to society. The bill, passed by the Assembly, is now before the Senate for floor action. With the state prison population reaching record levels and taxpayer costs for housing healthy as well as aged and seriously ill prisoners taking a bigger bite out of general fund revenues, this bill makes economic sense. Equally important, it is a compassionate and decent thing to do.

* Guns. AB 632 would increase the penalty for illegally carrying a concealed firearm from a misdemeanor to a felony if the gun was stolen, in the possession of a gang member or if the carrier was in unlawful possession of the firearm. At present, illegal possession of a gun is usually a misdemeanor. Bipartisan support, rare where the issue of gun control is concerned, has sent this bill through both houses, but the legislation could face rough going during concurrence. We hope it sails through.

* Maternity. AB 1841 would require HMOs and health insurers to cover hospital stays for mothers and their newborns after childbirth based on what their attending physicians deem medically appropriate. Responding to the cost-cutting pressure that some doctors feel from managed care organizations, the bill sensibly allows them to make discharge decisions without first getting permission from the health care plan. It also helps protect doctors from being disciplined for declining to discharge patients quickly. The bill merits passage.

* Campaign disclosure. For years, political candidates in California have made widespread use of sophisticated computer networks to seek support, yet California voters who want to know how their elected officials fund their campaigns still must rummage through stacks of paper at the state or county election office. SB 108 would require candidates for state office to file campaign finance reports electronically with the secretary of state’s office so that they can be made available on the Internet. Enter the modern age; pass this bill.

* Electric deregulation. California’s electric power industry would undergo dramatic deregulation with the passage of this bill, AB 1890. The legislation establishes a much needed framework to enable the industry to make an orderly transition from a regulated utility into a competitive marketplace. Electric rates should decline as a result. The measure warrants approval.

These seven bills are among more than 200 awaiting action in Sacramento. On their merits, or demerits, they deserve priority.